Judge orders exam for suspect accused of threats

A Spearsville man has been ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric examination after threatening his parents and discharging a pistol in front of his mother while his two children watched.

Joseph Mathew Bridges, 29, of 401 Thomas Wade Road, was booked into the Union Parish Detention Center on Monday for illegal use of a weapon, two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and two counts of disturbing the peace.

His total bond was set at $19,000.

Third Judicial District Court Judge Jay McCallum ordered Bridges to avoid all contact with the victims including his children until the court gives permission after his psychiatric examination.

A disturbance was reported early Monday morning at the parents’ grocery store in Spearsville after Bridges arrived and started threatening his father. He told his father that he had a pistol and kept patting his right back pocket. At one point, he told his father to step outside “and let’s do this.”

Bridges then left the store and drove to his mother’s house and began yelling that he had a gun and that he would use it. His mother asked him to leave, at which time he pulled out the pistol and pointed it at his own head. He then showed his mother that the gun was loaded and fired one shot.

The mother told deputies she did not know what direction the gun was fired but stated that Bridges’ two children were watching from a mobile home next door.

Deputies said that Bridges then left and went back to the store where he again yelled and caused a disturbance in front of customers.